Draft attachment for vehicles



(No Model.)

J. N. BLAKBSLBB,

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES. No. 555,252. Patented @5529,1891

A TTOHNE Y bolt.

rnrns DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent No. 585,252, dated J` une 29, 1897.

Application filed July 24, 1896.

.To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES N. BLAxnsLnn, a citizen of the United States., residing in Steuben, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Draft Attachments for Vehicles, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates chieiiy to the manner of attaching the draft of the team to heavy wagons, as farm or lumber wagons,where two or more horses are used, the object being to apply the power lower, so as to exert more lifting upon the forward axle and wheels, relieving the horses of much of the weight and downward pressure and also to quite an extent of the side motion of the tongue.

In the usual manner the doubletree or evener is attached to the tongue or hounds on the top, and the hounds being on the upper side of the axle the draft has a downward pressure on the axle and wheels. By my de* vice the evener is attached to and made to draw on the under side of the axle and without any direct connection with the hounds.

In the drawings accompanying this, Figure l is a top view of a portion of the forward axle with the tongue, hounds, dro.; Fig. 2, a side sectional view through the center, showing my device; Fig. 3, a plan view of my device detached.

In the several views the same figures are used to indicate the same parts.

l is the central portion of the forward axle; 2, the hounds; 3, the circle; 4, the tongue; 5, the evener; 6, the singletrees; 7, the king- These are all of the usual form and connected as usual except that the evener is attached in the manner hereinafterexplained. On the under side of the axle I place a stout plate of iron or steel 8, firmly secured to the axle by the clips This plate has a stout arm 10 extending forward, and to this arm Serial No. 600,333. (No modelo is secured the evener 5, substantially in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3, independent entirely of the tongue and hounds. Beyond the evener the arm is curved upward and forms an elastic support to the tongue. Near the end the slot l1 is made in the arm and the bolt 12 inserted through the tongue and the slot, so as to hold the arm and tongue in position laterally, but as the bolt plays back and forth in the slot allows the tongue afree limited motion up and down.

By the use of this device it is evident that the draft is applied to the under side of the axle in a more natural way on the horses and in a way better calculated to lift the wheels over any obstruction in the roadway, and also as the draft is applied to the arm 10 at some distance forward of the axle it in turning tends to incline the axle in the proper direction without so much lateral strain on the tongue; also, that the extension of the arm supports the tongue, relieving the weight otherwise resting on the necks of the horses.

The device as here described and illustra-ted may be readily applied to the ordinary wagon without changing any of its parts. In the construction of new wagons various modifications Inay be made, as in wagons with iron axles the arm l0 may be made integral with the axle, (be.

I claim as my invention- A draft attachment and pole-supporter for wagons; consisting of a plate placed under the axle and rmly secured thereto, with an arm extending in front to which are attached the evener and singletrees, the extension of the arm curving upward and supporting the tongue; substantially as shown and described.

JAMES N. BLAKESLEE.

Vitnesses:

A. B. HowLAND, F. B. HowLANp. 

